Fun… Inspiration… Life… Management… for I-ndustry N' Kids

Posts Tagged ‘career choices’

Think of pirates and your mind will no doubt go back to the Golden Age of pirates. An age so often romanticised in books and movies. Why don’t you first think about Sir Francis Drake? Or other explorers of the Caribbean? If it was government-sanctioned, was it not still piracy?

You gotta love a book that challenges your ideas on a topic… especially when the story is told as a modern day adventure story.

Author William Gilkerson gives us this new persepctive on pirates and on what is good and what is bad from the grizzled old Captain Charles Johnson (who appears to be a sailor out-of-time). Using fiction, the new ideas cannot possibly come across as factual and dry, but instead keep you guessing, teasing you back and forth on both sides of believing them. Through the POV of 12 year old Jim, you are taken on a journey to the thin line of choice to become a pirate yourself or not. And when you’re there, the decision is not as easy as you thought it would be when you were on page 1.

Then again, serious decisions are never as easy as they first seem, are they?

Spring brings the birth of a new year of nature, new possibilities and new directions… This year I am thrilled to be starting an MFA in Creative Writing. Ironically, it will mean that I will have less time for blogging F.I.L.M. about our industry as I concentrate my efforts on other, longer works.

In keeping with my life’s passion, I plan to be crafting stories primarily for children and youth… no doubt with the film industry involved in some way or another!

Please note that this new direction doesn’t mean I won’t blog at all… just not as often, and not regularly. Thank you so very much for your support and interest in my F.I.L.M. blog! I’ll keep you updated on the development of my new works.

Which one(s) catch your fancy? Something for your craft now… and something for what you plan to do in the future? Spring is a time of new beginnings. Perhaps it’s time you explored that untrodden path.

Good perspective… although, admittedly, freelancers have understood this “realism” for a long time now.

It’s good to cross-train and cross-learn, so although this site may be more directed to “regular jobs” (whatever they are!), the info is very interesting and useful, covering topics like: being laid off and resume help, but also cool concepts like having an elevator pitch for yourself.

Scarecrow wonders if the Wizard of Oz will give him a brain; should he go on the journey to Oz?

Dorothy: “I couldn’t say, but even if he didn’t, then you’d be no worse off then you are now.” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

Dorothy totally inspires us into action, but in a realistic way. Making a change in your life doesn’t guarantee you a better situation, but not making a change keeps the doors of possibility closed. Inaction is status quo; action is potential.

Sure, with action comes risk. But with action also comes the possibility of change and growth. Five years from now, yes, we’ll all be 5 years older. But where else could we be if we apply for that job? Or take that course? Or reach out to meet that person we want to meet? Hmmm… the possibilities are endless if we dare to journey down that yellow brick road.

Your peers are finally used to you thinking of you working in one role within the industry by the time you want to move on and up to a different position or simple change tracks. Alas! So often you are taking the path of “career change” when in fact, this state of change is just the natural flow of your career.

Winter Palace Films has a great article based on a workshop at Show Biz Expo (in LA in December 2010): “Unconvential Strategies for Reinventing Yourself and Your Career” by Jan Bursey, Producer & President of Winter Palace Films. Surf by and check out the 10 strategies. Useful information no matter at what point in your career you are.

“But if along the way you act like someone you’re not, pretty soon that’s who you become.”– Gabriella (High School Musical 2, 2007)

Painful words, but they ring true. We are defined by our actions, aren’t we? We may deny ourselves when we make certain choices we deem are out of our character (who we want to be or who we think we are), but if we keep repeating these out-of-character choices, then at some point we have to accept that these choices are us… or we have to start making the “right” choices for ourselves. And we have the power to change… and that’s a hopeful thought.

Deborah S. Patz

I'm the author of "Film Production Management 101", and have worked in many facets of the film and television industry since the mid-80s, especially managing film and TV productions. I believe in making dreams come true.

This F.I.L.M. blog is to entertain, to inspire, to mentor about the industry... especially when you only have a moment or two to spare in this busy lifestyle.